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Double
Chins
Double Chins tend to come with growing older but they are not inevitable and
they are capable of being reduced without surgery. There are several reasons
behind them - genetic tendency; lack of exercise and fat and fluid build-up.
Reducing Double Chins
- Check your posture. How do you stand? If you are slumping, you will be
creating unnecessary lumps and bumps on your body, including around your
chin area because the fat seeks unfirmed areas to settle in. Stand up
tall, put your head up, shoulders back and uncurve that spine. See a
professional physiotherapist who can recommend simple but effective
exercises to improve your posture. Keep active.
- See your doctor. If there is a fluid problem around your chin area, it
may need further consideration. If there is simply fluid retention, ask
your doctor to refer you to a massotherapist who can expertly massage the
area to try and unblock the fluid and assist with better posture and
relaxation.
- Exercise. This will keep your whole body well-toned and trim, as well as
keeping your circulatory and lymphatic systems running properly. It can be
as simple as daily walks or as complicated as gym sessions. As long as you
are being active and stretching your muscles, you will tone your body and
help prevent the build up of fat deposits, including in your chin area.
- Lose weight if you need to. A double chin due to additional weight is a
good indicator to change your lifestyle diet. Don't try anything
restrictive or faddish though. Your change must be one that you can carry
on for the rest of your life. Small, consistent losses are what you should
be aiming for and maintaining. Your diet should include plenty of fiber,
fruits, vegetables and water. See a nutritionist, dietician or doctor for
advice and encouragement.
- Do chin and neck specific exercises. Many people have very tight necks
because of stress, bad posture and computing work. Tilt your head from
side to side as far as your head will go. Tilt it forward and back as far
as it will go. If you experience pain doing this exercise, you will need
to build it up gently over weeks, maybe even months, but persevere as you
are retraining your neck muscles to be more supportive and flexible. Include this facial exercise in your routine: Tilt your head back, mouth
the vowels AEIOU in an exaggerated manner then pretend to kiss the
ceiling. And finally, make sure you exercise the area near your eyes. You can do
this using the Jelking method. You close your eyes and look from one side
to another for about 15 minutes. Important note: As much as we would love to "spot reduce" our less desirable areas,
it is not possible without going under the knife. Diet and exercise are the keys
to weight loss. You will lose body fat where there is body fat, the rest of the
body will become toned and fit.
- Don't spend too many hours slumped over a computer everyday. If you must
work with a computer all day, do stretches every half an hour. If you
forget to do this, set an alarm on your computer to remind you. There are
web programs that you can download which give you simple exercises that
you can do in a few minutes at your desk without anyone even noticing.
- If you have a genetic tendency towards a double chin (i.e. look at your
parents, other family members), then you have even more reason to exercise
and eat healthily to avoid getting a double chin or to reduce one you may
already have.
- Count the hidden calories/kilojoules in your diet - beer, soft drinks,
snack bars and take out meals all carry a load of hidden sugars (which are
converted to fat when not needed), fats and empty calories/kilojoules.
These are all contributing to the double chin, so cut down on them or cut
them out altogether for a time.
Cover Up Double Chins
- Use makeup to cover up. It is possible to use makeup to lessen a double
chin. Try to make your jawline feature more prominently than your neck by
using a powder that is a shade darker than your skin tone. The powder
should be blended in from ear to ear and into the neck area. Draw
attention away from the neck area with colorful blush and interesting eye
makeup. If you can't get it right yourself, see a makeup artist to show
you how to do this.
- Improve your hairstyle. Don't have a haircut that rests at the level of
your chin, or long hair, because both styles will draw more attention to
your chin. Make the hair sit higher; short hair is the order of the day.
If you're willing to take a risk, tall spiky hair may lessen the
appearance of a double chin.
- Don't wear chokers/tight dog collars. They are tight on the neck,
emphasizing the double chin and possibly leaving red marks. If you still
want this look, there are necklaces that have a similar design to dog
collars, but hang like regular necklaces.
- Wear a broad, open neckline. This will draw attention away from your
neck region. Depending on your style, you may be able to get away with
wearing a very high collar which may totally cover your neck (think
Dracula here). However, this may only work if you're wearing a
coat/costume with this type of collar, so don't depend on it.
- Don't wear dangly earrings or short necklaces - they will accentuate the
chin
- Don't wear turtleneck sweaters or high collars
- Don't tan too much, or at the very least, cover up your neck and face
region; the sun helps to break down the skin's elasticity earlier than the
normal course of aging
- Appreciate yourself for who you are. Your appearance is more than your
genetic features. How you dress, how you present yourself, how you
communicate with others, how you share your sense of you with others and
how much confidence you have in yourself as a worthy human being are all
worth 1000 times more than the appearance of a double chin. Think really
deeply about those people in your life who really matter - they're not
constantly telling you how you look; rather, it's our inner devil who does
this. We live in an age of the "youth culture" and sadly we've
forgotten how to age gracefully through acceptance of the reality of human
anatomy. There is freedom and wisdom in growing older; gains that looking
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